Lactose Intolerance in Pets
If you have noticed that your dog or your cat shows signs of discomfort, bloating or diarrhoea after consuming milk or any dairy products, he/she might be lactose intolerant
Lactose is a carbohydrate, particularly a sugar present in milk and milk derived products from mammals such as cows, goat, Buffalo and sheep. Different pets can tolerate different amounts of lactose
Some pets cannot drink liquid milk but can tolerate yogurt or curd due to low amounts of lactose such dairy products but what about those who cannot tolerate yogurt and curd either?
While milk is not an essential food for pets, it can be used as a supportive nutrient source of mainly sugar for extra calories and as a source of calcium, amino acids and fat. The nutrient content of milk differs slightly between species
Then how about replacing mammal milk with plant based milk sources? It will not be a complete replacement as mammal milk contain all or most essential amino acids while in plant based milk we only find a few of the essential amino acids and as you know, from my article on "protein sources for pets", plant based proteins are less bioavailable than animal based proteins
The problem with lactose intolerance in pets opens doors to several innovative products in the pet food industry that can help pets consume mammal derived milk without any sign of discomfort or fortified plant based milk products enriched with a range of nutrients
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